The present invention relates generally to bearing housings and, more particularly, to a novel bearing housing with an embedded temperature measuring device for monitoring the temperature of a bearing or bearing assembly.
Costly failures can occur when bearings in a bearing housing are operated above certain temperatures. Excessive temperatures in a bearing can result, for example, from inadequate bearing lubricant, misaligned bearings, or other abnormalities in the proper operation of the bearing assembly.
Certain types of stand alone thermocouples have been used to monitor bearing temperature in the past. A thermocouple generally comprises a pair of wires of dissimilar metals that are joined on one end and the free ends of the wires are connected to an instrument that measures the difference in potential created at the junction of the two metals. In prior applications, the typically spring loaded thermocouples were installed by drilling and threading a hole in the bearing housing. The thermocouple utilized included a rigid sheath that protects the thermocouple wires and a signal transmitter for connecting to the instrument, such as a voltmeter, that measures the difference in potential at the junction of the two metals. The cost of drilling and tapping a hole, along with the cost of the sheath that protects the thermocouple wires, the spring, and the connecting head that houses the signal transmitter together comprise a very expensive package. Thus, many users forego the use of the thermocouple and have no means for measuring the temperature in the bearing housing during operation.